Genesis 18
Three Heavenly Visitors
Three Special Visitors
1The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest time of the day.
This is the sixth appearance of Jehovah to Abraham. According to rabbinic tradition, Jehovah visited Abraham while he was recovering from circumcision. Abraham is sitting at the entrance of his tent, meaning that he is still a nomadic shepherd. The hottest part of the day would be noon when a mid-day meal was usually eaten.
2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing across from him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
The three men were God in visible form, plus two angels. The rabbi taught that these three men were angels. Rabbi Rashi taught that the first angel was Raphael, who came to heal Abraham from his circumcision. The second angel was Michael, who came to inform Sarah that she was to have a son. The third was Gabriel, who came to destroy the five cities of the plains. There is nothing in Scripture that confirms this interpretation. This is all rabbinic superstition.
3He said, “My lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant.
The Hebrew word for “my lord” is אֲדֹנָ֗י (adonai), meaning “my God.” Abraham recognized that one of the men was God Himself in the flesh.
4Let a little water be brought so that you may all wash your feet and rest under the tree.
Abraham offered water for the feet of his guests. Sodom will offer these guests homosexual rape.
5And let me get a bit of food so that you may refresh yourselves since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
Notice that God and angels can sit down and enjoy a meal with men.
6So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take three measures of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.”
Three measures of fine flour is a large meal for three men. Abraham went beyond the normal requirements of hospitality.
7Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.
Abraham chose the best of his flock.
8Abraham then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food before them. They ate while he was standing near them under a tree.
Abraham fed God and the angels meat and milk, which was later forbidden by the Mosaic Law. Since the superstitious rabbi think that the Mosaic Law existed before Mount Sinai, they attempt to spiritualize this verse to make it fit their own theology.
Some rabbi teach that Abraham served the butter and milk first, followed by the meat. This would be permitted under the Mosaic Law. Other rabbi teach that the calf was a “ben pakkua", meaning a calf found in the womb of a slaughtered mother. According to the man-made Oral Law, this type of cow did not require ritual slaughter, so the laws of milk and meat did not apply. These kinds of examples from extra-biblical rabbinic literature show how far that the rabbis went to make Scripture fit their Talmudic theology.
9Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, in the tent.”
All three of these heavenly beings asked Abraham for the location of Sarah. They knew her new name. They knew her current location. The focus of this angelic meeting was on Sarah.
10One of them said, “I will surely return to you when the season comes round again, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him.
God alone was doing the speaking. He promised Abraham that Sarah would have a son. Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent. She was very curious about these three new visitors. She wanted to hear what they had to say.
11Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; Sarah had long since passed menopause.
Sarah’s menstrual cycle had ended. Since she was in menopause, it would be humanly impossible for her to conceive any children. The birth of Isaac would become a miraculous birth. The birth of Israel would become a miraculous nation as well.
12So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, especially when my husband is old too?”
This was a laugh of unbelief. However, this laugh of unbelief did not cancel the Abrahamic Covenant. Even if Sarah did not believe in the miraculous birth to come, God in his power still kept His promise and made it happen. There are many today who do not believe in the promises or miracles of God. They attempt to spiritualize the Scriptures to help God out. However, God does not need man’s help. He is omnipotent and can perform whatever miracle that He promises. He will fulfill all of the prophecies of the Bible.
13The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child when I am old?’
God is omniscient. He read Sarah’s mind and revealed her thoughts to Abraham.
14Is anything impossible for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.”
The Hebrew word for “impossible” is פָּלָא (pela), meaning wonderful, extraordinary, miraculous, or spectacular. Many English versions translate as “difficult” or “impossible,” but it actually means “wonderful.” This Hebrew word is used only of God but never of man. Jehovah reminded Sarah that He is God and He can perform any miracle that He desires, including bringing a seed-son into the world through the dead womb of a woman in menopause.
15Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.”
Sarah was afraid, so she lied to God. God reminded Sarah that He is God and He was 100% correct when He stated that she did laugh.
Abraham Pleads for Sodom
16When the men got up to leave, they looked out over Sodom. (Now Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.)
It was customary for the host to travel part of the way with his visitors.
17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
The obvious answer is no. Lot, the nephew of Abraham, was living in the city of Sodom.
18After all, Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using his name.
The name of Abraham is still known all over the world. He is the founder of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. When the Messianic seed is born, all nations of the world will be blessed. Four of the cities of the plains are about to be removed from this future blessing.
19I have chosen him so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then the Lord will give to Abraham what He promised him.”
Abraham did not choose God. Abraham was a pagan who was worshiping the moon god in Ur. God chose Abraham.
Abraham was to teach his children about God, so that they could in turn and teach their children as well. Satan would attempt to eliminate all teaching of the one true God, but Abraham’s seed would preserve knowledge of Him.
Abraham was to do right, which means internal righteousness. He was to do just, which means external righteousness.
20So the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant
Sodom and Gomorrah were internally and externally wicked. Their sin was blatant. Sodom and Gomorrah had no interest in repenting of their sin.
21that I must go down and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. If not, I want to know.”
God already knew the situational attitude of Sodom and Gomorrah. He was letting Abraham know that He investigated this matter very carefully. This massive judgment was not coming from God’s ignorance.
22The two men turned and headed toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord.
God stayed behind to give Abraham a chance to intercede for his nephew.
23Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked?
Abraham asked God if He would wipe out the two cities if there were still godly people residing inside the city.
24What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it?
Abraham gave God a number of fifty.
25Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right?”
Abraham reminded God of His righteousness. The God of the heavens and earth would not wipe out a city if it had fifty righteous people living in it.
26So the Lord replied, “If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
God would spare the city for fifty people.
27Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord (although I am but dust and ashes),
Abraham was concerned that there may not be fifty righteous people in Sodom.
28what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy the whole city because five are lacking?” He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
Abraham reduced the number to forty-five.
29Abraham spoke to Him again, “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
Abraham reduced the number to forty.
30Then Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak! What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
Abraham reduced the number to thirty.
31Abraham said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
Abraham reduced the number to twenty.
32Finally Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
Lot’s family consisted of Lot’s wife, his two sons, his two married daughters, his two sons-in-laws, and his two single virgin daughters, which totaled ten people at this time. Therefore, Abraham stopped at ten, thinking that the city was safe. The problem was that not all ten members of Lot's family were righteous. Only three were righteous, and that was Lot and his two single daughters. However, the two daughters were carnal believers. They had lived their life in Sodom. They attended Sodom High School. They entertained themselves with the books, plays, songs, athletics events, social events, and educational system of the Sodom culture. They compromised with the satanic world system of Sodom.
33The Lord went on His way when He had finished speaking to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home.
Abraham finished his petition and left. His prayer was very bold. It was very specific. Abraham was very humble. He was very persistent.
God did not answer Abraham’s prayer to save Sodom, but God did save Lot. Lot had assisted Abraham, so he was blessed and spared by the Abrahamic Covenant.
In conclusion, the human viewpoint of the satanic world system teaches that angels do not exist, so this was just Jewish mythology.
The divine viewpoint of the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God teaches that God and two angels actually did visit Abraham and inform him of their plans.
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Appendix # 1
Archaeologist Believes to Have Discovered Location of Biblical Sodom, But One Thing Remains a Mystery
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz October 22, 2015 , 12:30 pm
“Then the Lord said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.’” (Genesis 18:20)
"The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah" by Peter Schoubroeck. (Photo: Wiki Commons)
“The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah” by Peter Schoubroeck. (Photo: Wiki Commons)
After 10 years of digging, archaeologist Steven Collins, of Trinity Southwest University of New Mexico, and his team believe they have discovered the location of Biblical Sodom in the Southern Jordan Valley in Jordan, about 14 kilometers northeast of the Dead Sea. However, they are struggling to solve a deep mystery.
The city, with its massive walls, palaces, administrative buildings and surrounding farm region, flourished and dominated the region for 3,000 years. Based on evidence found at the site, some 4,000 years ago the entire area suddenly became uninhabited for over 700 years. Archaeologists and scientists are attempting to figure out why.
While digging at the Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project, Collins studied accounts of Sodom extensively, explaining to Popular Archaeology, “Tall el-Hammam seemed to match every Sodom criterion demanded by the text.”
“We know very little about the Bronze Age in the south of the Jordan River Valley. Most archaeological maps of the area were blank. But what we have found is an important city-state, which was unknown before our project began,” he said.
“Tall el-Hammam matches the description of the area where Sodom was located according to the Bible. It was said to be the largest city east of Kikkar. When we explored the region, Tall el-Hammam was an obvious choice, as it was five to ten times larger than the other Bronze Age cities throughout the region, even those found beyond Jordan.”
One of the characteristics of Sodom mentioned in the Bible is the incredible richness of the area. Lot, Abraham’s nephew who escaped Sodom when it was destroyed, chose the Jordan Valley for this particular trait (Genesis 13:10). The area of Tall el-Hammam fits that description well. The farms in the area took advantage of the annual flooding of the Jordan River, planting in the newly deposited rich silt as the floodwaters receded.
Sodom was also noted in the Bible for homosexuality. Collins offers a theory to link his findings to that aspect of the Biblical narrative, including archaeological evidence that indicates that homosexuality was an accepted part of the Tall el-Hammam culture.
“It’s quite large, and has a pillared gate-house through which one would enter the city,” explained Collins. “Such pillared architecture is more Aegean than Canaanite or Levantine, which suggests a connection to the world of the Minoans and Mycenaeans.”
Many of the architectural and artistic motifs found at Tall el-Hammam strengthen this cultural connection. According to Collins, there is documented proof that the Creat Minoans practiced homosexuality as part of their culture. Based on evidence indicating the strong cultural link between the Creat Minoans with Tall el-Hammam, it is likely they adopted this practice as well.
The site is adjacent to the Dead Sea, which has a 34 percent salinity. This unique feature coats the rocks on its shore in thick layers of salt. This is consistent with the Biblical account, which describes Lot’s wife turning to a pillar of salt.
Sometime between 2000-1540 BCE, the city and surrounding area became uninhabited. Initial tests show that no life existed in that area for about 700 years, but the archaeological team has found no evidence for this sudden and lasting desolation.
Clues to this mystery may also be found in the Bible narrative. The destruction of Sodom is described as God raining down burning sulfur, or, in other translations, fire and brimstone (Genesis 19:24). At the Tall site, a layer of ash was discovered and the remains of one palace are stained red from burning. In addition, pottery shards display signs of exposure to extremely high temperatures. Normally, evidence of fire at such sites is the result of a military action, however a military conquest would usually be followed by an occupation, and it certainly would not account for 700 years of desolation.
Collins offers his own theory remarkably Biblical in nature. According to Collins, an enormous explosion over the city, such as that caused by a massive meteor, would account for all the evidence. He describes it as an “airburst”. As fantastic as that sounds, a similar occurrence was documented in Mesopotamia around 2200 BCE and credited with disrupting that civilization.
The Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project is an example of how scientists are successfully using the Bible as an authoritative source to learn more about the world around us. In the case of Sodom, Steven Collins discovered that what most people understand as a Biblical myth was actually accurate in the most astounding ways.
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1. SAQ--What is the theme of Genesis 18?
2. What evidence is given that one of the heavenly visitors was God himself?
3. What was the current menstrual cycle of Sarah at the time of this visit?
4. What promise was given to Abraham and Sarah?
5. Why did Sarah laugh?
6. What was God's judgement upon Sodom and Gomorrah?
7. Who was Lot and where did he live?
8. Why did Abraham stop his intercession prayer at ten?
9. How many righteous people were living in Sodom and Gomorrah?
10. List at least one archaeological evidence of Sodom and Gomorrah.